Xiao Ruobai and Fang Hanyu did not decline. Taking the spirit talismans, they could immediately feel the pure spatial energy and stable structure contained within, its quality more than a notch higher than before.
The three of them spoke no more. Their figures flickered as they completely concealed their auras, transforming into three inconspicuous streaks of light that silently sped toward the increasingly chaotic ruins of the Demon Heaven Sect.
Just as they returned to the vicinity of the Demon Heaven Sect's former site, they found the scene before them to be even more chaotic than before they went into seclusion.
The massive palm-print abyss still stretched across the earth like a scar on the world itself, exuding a terrifying pressure and Daoist resonance.
But at this moment, the edges of the palm print and the outer territories of the former Demon Heaven Sect resembled a massive, clamorous hybrid of a marketplace and a battlefield.
Streaks of light of all colors shuttled back and forth. Shouts, sounds of combat, Dao discussions, and bargaining intertwined.
Countless cultivators swarmed like a plague of locusts, occupying every possible spot that might contain Daoist resonance or resources.
Large and small temporary camps and crude cave dwellings could be seen everywhere, with banners fluttering in the wind, belonging to various sects and factions.
The air was not only filled with lingering auras of destruction and pure spiritual energy, but also an added metallic tang of blood and a hair-trigger tension.
Good heavens... It hasn't even been that long, and this place has practically turned into a wet market! Fatty Wang clicked his tongue in amazement.
Xiao Ruobai's divine sense stirred. His powerful Heaven and Human Realm spiritual sense spread out silently like invisible quicksilver, instantly absorbing the chaotic information within a radius of dozens of miles into his perception.
Conflicts, negotiations, spying, trading... a chaotic yet authentic portrait of humanity emerged in his mind.
Fatty, go gather some intelligence and see what the current situation is, Xiao Ruobai instructed.
In a place like this, teeming with all sorts of characters, Fatty Wang's street smarts were often more effective than brute force.
Orders received! Watch your Grandpa Fatty go to work!
Fatty Wang chuckled. With a sway of his body, he slipped into the crowd like a fish in water. He was soon rubbing shoulders and exchanging pleasantries with several seemingly well-informed rogue cultivators, occasionally letting out exaggerated bursts of laughter.
Xiao Ruobai and Fang Hanyu, meanwhile, found a relatively secluded cliff. They gazed at the chaotic land from afar, quietly awaiting Fatty Wang's news.
About the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Fatty Wang returned, his plump face bearing a look of schadenfreude and an eagerness for drama.
Big Brother, Second Brother, I've got the scoop! This place is absolutely bustling right now!
Fatty Wang lowered his voice and began to report, his face lighting up with excitement:
First, the Cloud Mist Sect has exploded in an uproar! Their Heaven and Human Realm Grand Elder, along with several core disciples, weren't they... uh, I mean, they've gone missing!
The entire Cloud Mist Sect is furious right now, acting like red-eyed mad dogs! They are searching everywhere for them!
Second, those two giant factions, the Myriad Law Pavilion and the Haoran Sect, are about to tear each other apart! I heard it's over a newly discovered Earth-grade spirit vein, and a top-tier Earth-grade one at that, just one step away from becoming Heaven-grade.
It is located fifty miles southwest of here, a hidden spot where the Demon Heaven Sect used to cultivate high-grade spiritual herbs.
Neither of these two great powers is backing down. They have each dispatched five Heaven and Human Realm elders alone. They even clashed a couple of days ago; the Myriad Law Pavilion lost a few Cave Heaven Realm elders, and the Haoran Sect suffered heavy casualties too. They are fighting with real bloodlust now.
Both sides are also desperately trying to rope in the small and medium-sized sects to take a stand, using threats and bribes, making a complete mess of things!
"Thirdly, there are even more of those miscellaneous factions. People from Cold Moon Valley, Heavenly Derivation Sect, Burning Heaven Palace... they've all sent someone, all wanting a bite of this big cake. Right now, this place is simply a powder keg ready to explode!"
Fatty Wang was getting excited as he spoke, his small eyes narrowing into an expression that clearly said, "I've spotted a fat sheep."
"I found out that the people from the Azure Profound Sect have also arrived! Led by a few elders, they brought dozens of elite disciples. However, they are quite low-key and haven't gotten involved in the fighting. They just found a highly defensible spot in the southeast corner and set up a temporary camp. It seems they are surveying the terrain and gathering intelligence. Looks like they want to make a fortune in silence..."
At this point, he deliberately lowered his voice, wearing a sly, you-know-what-I-mean smile.
"We can keep a close eye on them. This bunch looks quite loaded; maybe we can play the oriole waiting behind the mantis, hehe..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Fatty Wang felt the surrounding air inexplicably turn cold.
He subconsciously looked up, meeting Xiao Ruobai's calm, placid gaze that seemed to see right through a person's heart.
Glancing at Fang Hanyu next to him, although his face remained expressionless, those cold eyes were also fixed on him, his fingertips unconsciously tapping lightly against the hilt of his sword.
The smug smile on Fatty Wang's face instantly froze. He subconsciously shrank his chubby neck, feeling a bit creeped out.
"Uh... Big Brother, Second Brother?"
Feeling baffled, he muttered softly, "Wh-what's wrong? Did I say something wrong? Is there something wrong with this Azure Profound Sect?"
Seeing that the two didn't speak but only looked at him with even quieter eyes, he felt even guiltier and hurriedly tried to explain, throwing in some self-righteous analysis.
"No... Big Brother, Second Brother, don't underestimate this Azure Profound Sect! Let me tell you, it's based on intuition! My intuition has always been very accurate!"
The more he spoke, the more he felt he was right. His small eyes began to shine again as he tried to convince the two.
"Think about it! In this kind of chaotic situation, a sect that can remain so composed and not fight or snatch things is either full of true cowards, or... they have a huge scheme! They're holding back some wicked plan!"
He took a step closer, lowering his voice even more, and said mysteriously, "I think they are the latter! They absolutely want to be the sneaky... uh, I mean, the fisherman! We should keep a close eye on them, we definitely can't go wrong! Maybe we can score a huge haul!"
Xiao Ruobai: "..."
Fang Hanyu: "..."
The two looked at each other in silence, an extremely rare and indescribably complex emotion flashing through their eyes.
In that gaze was helplessness, a bit of speechlessness that this idiot was actually their teammate, and even a trace of absurdity at being openly plotted against their own home right to their faces.
Fatty Wang felt uncomfortable all over under this bizarre, silent stare. The expectant smile on his chubby face gradually collapsed, turning into apprehension and bewilderment.
"N-no... Big Brother, Second Brother... say something, will you? Is my analysis... wrong?"
Xiao Ruobai took a deep breath, seemingly wanting to say something, but ultimately just raised his hand and rubbed his temples rather powerlessly.
He really didn't know how to explain to this lively fool, who was enthusiastically preparing to scam his own sect, that standing right in front of him were disciples of the Azure Profound Sect's Purple Bamboo Peak.
Fang Hanyu's fingertips stopped tapping the hilt of his sword. He slowly turned his head away from Fatty Wang, casting his gaze toward the southeast, in the direction of the Azure Profound Sect's camp.
The icy sword aura swirling around them seemed to falter for a split second, as if choking on this outrageous suggestion.
Fatty Wang grew even more frantic: "Ah! Don't doubt me! My intuition is really..."
At that moment, Xiao Ruobai and Fang Hanyu looked at the little fatty who was still stubbornly clinging to his idea. A single thought sprouted in both their minds simultaneously: should we... just finish off this little fatty and be done with it?
It would save them the trouble of this goofball actually sneaking up behind the disciples of the Qingxuan Sect one day.
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
s + Rent Collection Wealth】 At the start, he inherited a rundown house in the urban village from his grandfather. The house had no tenants, but the moment he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, a self-proclaimed empress from the Tianxuan Continent arrived as his first tenant. Ye Chuan soon discovered that with every new tenant moving in, not only did he receive massive daily payments, but he also obtained unique items related to their backgrounds. 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Tiger Strength Pill—dramatically enhances physical power!】 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Deer Blood Pill—significantly boosts vitality!】 …… From that day on, all sorts of bizarre tenants began appearing in the house: the empress from Tianxuan Continent, an apocalyptic sorceress from the Magic Realm, a mysterious scientific girl who fell through a spacetime rift… Every single day, he received strange, powerful items and endless money. Then one day, he suddenly realized—he had become invincible. Enough, enough! Stop giving me more!
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
